Brandon Phillipstold reporters upon arriving to Reds’ camp last month that he hadn’t spoken with the club about a possible contract extension since December. That’s about to change.

Reds general manager Walt Jocketty confirmed to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com this afternoon that he plans to meet with Phillips’ representatives when they arrive in Goodyear, Arizona next week.

“They will be here this coming week,” Jocketty said Saturday. “That’s all I am going to say. There’s nothing more to talk about until I talk to them.”

Phillips is currently due to make $12 million this season before hitting free agency. He has previouslysaid that he’s not willing to give a “homeboy hookup” to the Reds and “just want(s) what other second baseman got.” If that’s the case, he’ll likely use Dan Uggla‘s five-year, $62 million deal with the Braves as a benchmark.

Phillips, who turns 31 in June, has a .280/.331/.449 batting line with 124 homers, 135 stolen bases and a .779 OPS since joining the Reds in 2006. Only 12 players have more hits (997) during the same time span. Considered one of the best second basemen in the game, Phillips has won the Gold Glove award in three out of the past four seasons.

just pay the man walt! I am sure you would be willing to overpay some washed up ex-cardnial reject to take his spot so why not just pay one of the best second basemen in the game already on your team? nobody is saying lock him up for 5-6 years but why not a 3- 4 year deal? that way he stays with the team until you have somebody ready to take over when/if his skills start to decline.